Oso Bay Biennial XVIII

March 18 – 22, 2014

In its 36th year, this week-long festival brings fine art and culture to Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend. The mission of the 2014 Biennial is to provide an enriching event to a region thirsting for cultural opportunities, to demonstrate the diversity of documentary photography, and link students, photographers and educators from schools across Texas and beyond in creativity and collaboration.

This year’s programming will focus on the expansive realm of Documentary Photography. Events will be held in the month of March, with a culmination of proceedings March 18-22.

The Oso Bay Biennial XVIII is organized by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and will partner with Prime Collective, K Space, The Art Museum of South Texas, House of Rock, and the Art Center of Corpus Christi in the Corpus Christi educational and art community. There will be a series of exhibitions, workshops, panel discussions and multimedia presentations throughout Corpus Christi.

Prime is a photographic cooperative founded in 2011. The six founding members are united by their firm belief in the power of the image, the importance of pursuing self-directed projects and stories they believe in, and their commitment to journalistic integrity.

Dominic Bracco II explores the effects of global economics on local communities. Although he works internationally, Dominic’s work often returns to document the effects of Mexican and North American policies on the Texas / Mexico border region where he was raised. He has degrees in journalism and Spanish literature from The University of Texas at Arlington. Dominic's work has been recognized with a Eugene Smith Fellowship, Pulitzer Center grants, Chris Hondros Fund, and a Tim Hetherington Award. Past clients include The New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Dominic is also a founding member of the collective Prime. He is based in Mexico City.

Melanie Burford explores long-term projects that blend documentary photography with investigative journalism. She was part of the team of Dallas Morning Newsphotographers who received the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. In 2009 she won the Emmy Award for her portfolio of video documentary work at the Lone Star Emmy Advanced Media Awards. Melanie’s work has been recognized at the 74th annual National Headliner Awards, the Harry Chapin Media Awards, the Clarion Awards, the Best of Photojournalism and Pictures of the Year International. A part-time adjunct professor at The Journalism School at Columbia University, her passion for teaching has gained her keynote speaking roles, including the Kodak Seminar Series touring Australia and New Zealand in 2008. Originally from New Zealand, Melanie’s career began in 1990, working at The Evening Post before moving to America in 1999, becoming a staff photographer at The Dallas Morning News in 2003 and moving to New York in 2009.

Brendan Hoffman (b. Albany, NY, 1980) is a photographer based in Moscow, Russia. He began his career in 2007 after working at a desk for several years in the non-profit sector. He divides his time between client and personal work. He was until recently based in Washington, DC, where assignments often involved covering news and politics for publications such as TIME magazine or the New York Times. His personal projects reflect his interest in the ways in which economic and political structures shape modern society. His ongoing project “Stand the Middle Ground” is an exploration of contemporary middle class America in the context of free trade and the decline of manufacturing in a small Iowa town. Brendan has received awards for his photography from Pictures of the Year International, the White House News Photographers Association, and other organizations. He has worked in a variety of countries for both editorial and NGO clients, and is a co-founder of Prime.

Charlie Mahoney is a freelance photojournalist and multimedia producer who is dedicated to documenting stories of social significance. Over the last few years he has worked on issues ranging from the plight of African immigrants entering Europe to the troubling issues of climate change and political unrest in the Maldives. While his projects have taken him around the world, he is currently focused on contemporary issues in Northeastern U.S. A sensitive eye to color is a signature of his work. Charlie brings a diverse background to the field of photography and journalism. He has a B.A. in International Relations and Biology from Bowdoin College. Prior to his career in photography, he worked 10 years in finance. He received a Masters in Photojournalism from the University Autónoma of Barcelona and he now teaches a module there. He lives with his wife and recently born son in Boston. He is fluent in Spanish and English.

Pete Muller is an award-winning photojournalist and multimedia reporter based in Nairobi, Kenya. His work explores the challenges of nationalism and nation-states with a particular interest in marginalized communities. Through a combination of photography, text, and video recordings, he aims to illustrate broader issues through individual stories. He strives to create images and material that demand emotional and intellectual consideration to the lives and experiences of those depicted.

From 2009 through 2012, he was based in South Sudan working on a long-term project that examines the South’s complex transition to independence. This work explores the political, environmental, and cultural diversity in the Republic of South Sudan and how the new country is grappling with the challenges of nation-state formation in the 21st century. In addition to South Sudan, Muller has worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, northern Uganda, Afghanistan, the Palestinian Territories, Somalia, and South Africa.

In 2011, he was named Wire Photographer of the Year by TIME Magazine for his work with the Associated Press in Eastern and Central Africa. In the same year, he was awarded the John Faber Award for Best Photographic Reporting for a Newspaper or News Wire by the Overseas Press Club of America and received Honorable Mention in the Chinese International Press Photo Contest. His work on mass rape and mobile tribunals was also featured in the 19th Annual Open Society Foundation Moving Walls Documentary Photography Project. He has been three times nominated for the Photo District News 30 Emerging Photographers to Watch.

Lance Rosenfield is a freelance photographer who in 2013 relocated to Washington, DC, and makes periodic visits to his hometown of Austin, Texas. In addition to shooting editorial and commercial assignments, he concentrates on long term self-directed work and teaching senior photojournalism students at Corcoran College of Art + Design. He has exhibited in a number of group shows in New York, Virginia, Texas, California and Connecticut. Lance’s project ‘Thirst for Grit’ was chosen as a finalist for the 2009 Emerging Photographer Grant awarded by the Magnum Foundation, as well as the Michael P. Smith Grant for Documentary Photography. He was selected to the Eddie Adams Barnstorm Workshop in 2007 and is a 2010 B&W Magazine Spotlight photographer. Lance serves on the Board of Trustees for Austin Center for Photography and loves the films by Werner Herzog, Errol Morris, and Michelangelo Antonioni.

Max Whittaker is a freelance photojournalist based in Sacramento, Calif. He studied history at the University of California, Davis, and became interested in photojournalism while on a climbing trip in South America. Max worked at newspapers in Iowa and California before going freelance in 2004. He’s covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, presidential campaigns, and social issues in California. He’s a regular contributor to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Getty Images, senior contributing photographer for Sactown magazine, and is a founding member of the Prime collective.

Oso Bay Biennial XVIII Schedule

March 18

8am-5pm Master Workshops with Prime Collective Artists

Prime collective is handling the applications for free workshops during the Oso Bay Biennial XVIII. Apply by sending a link to your work or a folder with 20 images to workshops@primecollective.com by Feb.28. This is a free workshop with all of the Prime Collective photographers in Corpus Christi, Texas MARCH 18 - 19th. There are only 21 spots. Don't miss this unique opportunity.

8pm-10pm Campus Projections of HOME photographs and Prime Collective photographs

March 19

8am-5pm Master Workshops with Prime Collective Artists (free registration for these will be with PRIME)

8pm-10pm Campus Projections of HOME photographs and Prime Collective photographs

2pm-4pm Reception at the Art Museum of South Texas for Oso Bay Biennial XVIII participants to view the Ansel Adams Western Exposure Exhibition. Photographs from Adam’s personal collection owned by his family AND Merger, Photography students from Del Mar College and TAMUCC